Vehicle spring mechanism



Jan. 3, 1928. t 1,655,323 1 F. C. MERRIELL VEHICLE SPRING MECHANISM Filed June 3, 1924 Patented Jan. 3, 1928.

- UNITEDSTA TES PAT.

1,655,323 ENT OFFICE.

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, vnnionnsrnmo MECHANISM.

Application filed ne 3,

. My invention relates to improvements in spring mechanism for vehicles. It has for its objects the provision of means whereby the riding qualities of vehicles, more particu l larly pleasure automobiles, are improved; the road shocks being absorbed and the starting and stopping motion being transmitted to the body of the car. with the maximum,

smoothness, the said means at the same time 1 so constructed as to withstand any extraordinary shock or strain. As my description progresses other objects and improvements will be apparent.

I attain my objects by providing a 1 straight cantilever spring anchored to the" Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the spring and a portion of the frame of the vehicle. f o I N Fig. 2 is a detailed side view showing partly in section the rear axle fitting which is shown in end view of Fig. 1.

Fig. ,3 is a detailed side View partly in section of a spring shackle forthe rear end of the spring, the same being a modification of the shackle shown in Fig. 1. y

Referring in detail to the drawing, Ais a straight cantilever spring composed of a plurality of leaves a. B is the rear end of the frame of the vehicle, the spring A beingatt ached thereto at itsend by shackle link I), by means of pivot bolts 6 and b the end of the longest or lower main leaf being provided with an eye for thesaid lower bolt 6 The rear end is by these means made semir igid thereby permitting movement either laterally or in rotation. The spring is anchored again to the frame, at apoint in- V termediate of its ends, by means of the bracket 6 which is attached to the frame by the rivet-s6, to which the saddle a is attached by means of the pivot bolt a said saddle being clamped to the spring leaves a by the clips a C is the rear axle housing which is attached to the end of the spring,,

said end being provided with the eye a into 5 which the bushing 0 is fitted and the pivot ing through said; bushing.v

1924.. Serial No. 717,518.

0 connects the eye of the, sprin to the housv T i 7 is illustrated in Fig; 2, wherein, the axle housing C 1s enclosedby a split sleeve composed-of members "c and c [clamped togetherfby their upper ends the nuts 'ci'which restaon horizontal flanges carried'by "the upper clamping member 0 The friction on the axle housing can be made anything desired byadjusting the nuts 0 Integral withand extending from the member 0 are two cheek plates o (see Figs. land 2), which'receive I etween them the eye 0 of the spring A. It]

is to be observed that while the entire assemblage of saddle and sleeve maybe set u on the axle housing so tightly that it wil not turn thereon, yet it may also be adjusted so as topermit a certainamount of rotary motion-around the axle housing.

In operation th firstpartof a vehicle to move when the clutch is engaged is the'rear axle, from which motion is transmitted to the body of the car by thedspring or by auxiliary devices, such as torque or "pull.

rods or guyed thirdmember's. suchmethods are usedin actual practice, effecting transmiss on by combinations of the springsand very fmu'ch decreased; and the effect of the means of the U'shaped bolts 0, receiving at 7 the other members. Without help of these {other devices the smoothness-of riding is usual type of spring, running forward from the axle to the .body,'whether the spring be semi-elliptic or' cantilever, is to throw the spring or that part of it which is rigidly attached to the body into compression, for the purpose of carrying the thrust to the body and'g'iving motion. The condition of being under compressionjandin efi'ect acting 'as a column, is one for which neither the spring, .steel nor the form of the spring is primarily designed. If the connectingleaf takes the strain by itselfits spring action is practically-nullified and it is rendered very liable to break. On the other hand, if the compression is communicated also to the I other leaves, then all are hindered in their spring'action' and are prevented from being properly resilient. In applicants device these objections are avoided and the spring transmits. the stress required to move the body of the car as tension in such manner that it does. not interfere with the spring action of any of the leaves in any manner.- This. is a primary advantage applicants device and is believed to be new in its specific construction and will be claimed as such.

The manner of attaching the spring at the .heretoforeused for the same purpose in the prior'art, This is shown in Fig. 3, in which the link 7) is re )laced b a sorin tension J i a:

link com osed of a. central stem cZ' WOIkiII .7 b

in=abarrel d, with a spring 6Z2 compressed between the head of the stem d and the head of the barrel (Z. This spring shackle or clip is secured to the parts B and (a by bolts and b as in Fig. 1. When the spring leaves are suddenl com ressed b Y the risin b of the axle C, and then suddenly opened by the rebound, the effect will be first to compress the spring (Z and then for the spring to exert pressure on the leaves roof the main vehicle spring and draw the same upward so as to prevent violent rebound and maintain continuous transmission of strains from the bodymember B to the axle G.

s As is commonly known the smoothness of riding of a vehicle is directly influenced by the wheel base, and more particularly is affected by thedistance between the points .at which the body is supported, the greater thelength'the greater the smoothness of riding. An additional improved result by use of applicantsspring will be noticed in that with applicants construction the effective wheelbase is the same as the length of the frame, since the point of support for the rear end s the placo'where the spring 1s rigidly attachedto the body, while in front because of this typeof spring the rigid front half of the spring is added to the wheel base.

It is further pointed out that while, as is done in no other type of spring, applicants construction puts the spring in pure tension only, in carrying the driving stressfrom the rear axle to the body, the spring acts practically as its own rebound check owing to the semi-rigidmiddle support. Thatis,

during rebound, when the front ends of the leaves tend to separate, the rear ends tend, from being pressed together, to force the body back to the normal position, thereby effecting a reversal of stress at the middle clamp. The facts that the middle point and rear end are only semi-rigid prove in prac ticeto also aid greatly in producing steady riding. I

WVhile I have thus specifically described my invention it is to be understood that'I claim as original with me and a part thereof all such modifications in construction and arrangment' as fall fairly within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

The combination with a vehicle frame of a. rigid member extending horizontally therefrom and having its end bent downwardly at an obtuse angle, and a straight cantilever spring lying directly beneath said member, with its outer end adjacent and connected to the outer end of said member by a shackle with pivot bolts, having its inner end connected by a pivot clamp to the axle of the vehicle, and at a point intermediate of its ends but nearer to the outer end and beneaththe downwardly bent portion of the frame member, having a pivotal connection therewith, composed of two members, one

fixed rigidly to theinclined end part of the frame member, and the other clamped to the body of the spring, whereby v'ertical'movements of the axle with relation to the frame of the vehicle, will produce fiexions from end to end ofthe spring, reversed at the intermediate pivotal connection, while by reason of the pivots, the spring is free to move longitudinally as well as vertically in the said fiexions, whereby perfect absorption of thrust strains as well as road vibrations is produced, the drop or amount of downward bend in said frame member being inversely proportional to the strength of the spring, to permit free vertical travel of the axle during the fiexions thereof.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

ream; o. MERRIELL. 

